By Susan Liddy

Do you feel stressed for a lot of the time? Do you carry a sense of heaviness, as life keeps piling on responsibilities and obligations?

You're in good company. A recent survey showed that globally, 23% of women say they feel "super-stressed!" We have high pressure jobs (inside and outside of the home), we're in constant demand, and at the end of a typical day… we're spent.

So what do we do to get that needed energy burst? We chug a big cup of coffee at about 4 p.m.... and although it may pep us up for "the second shift," the caffeine can keep us awake past midnight and the next day we're exhausted.

Does the above routine sound familiar to you? What happens if you keep going at this pace? More than likely, your body and mind will begin to fail you from long stretches of fatigue and spending every moment in overdrive mode. You'll find yourself becoming more forgetful, more likely to catch a cold, lacking enthusiasm for things that once excited you... and just not performing at your best in any area of your life. You're distracted and disheveled, constantly rushing, but getting nothing accomplished! Bottom line, you are stressed!

It doesn't have to be this way. You CAN begin to know the feeling of having a "well managed" life - so you can finally say goodbye to that awful, stressed out feeling. Sleep better... get healthier... live happier.

Did you know that many women have actually replaced their tense feelings with a sense of lightness, and the freedom to worry less and do more of what they enjoy?

How do they do it? These women know the secret to life balance, or the ability to prioritize the most important aspects of their daily lives for the greatest productivity. This frees up their time so that they can focus more attention on things that give them pleasure, while avoiding those "time suckers" or "time wasters" that sap them of their energy.

If you take a look at what the average woman accomplishes in any given week, you will typically see that one or two areas receives much more attention than the rest. Think of your life in pie chart format, displaying different areas that are important to you such as: health, relationships, home life, family, finance, career, etc. (You may even want to actually draw a chart if it helps you get a perspective.)

Putting too many eggs in one of these baskets will affect the other life areas, and create stress. And the truth is that most women who feel especially stressed are NOT prioritizing to the best of their ability. That's often because they fear structure, or saying no - or they have trouble staying within the boundaries that they've set for themselves.

The first step in fighting stress and achieving life balance is to know what is important to you. Once you determine that, you can put together a plan for success! So find out: what do you really want and need in your life? Take a few moments to figure that out, maybe even jot down some ideas on paper or talk with your spouse, partner or a close friend.

Next, we must learn how to say "no" to the energy drainers, and yes to the energy gainers in our lives. Saying "no" can be challenging. Sometimes we falsely lead ourselves to believe that if we don't honor every request that comes our way, we won't be liked or we'll let others down. Or, we might also wrongly perceive that saying no makes us selfish!

But if you look at all the choices available to us at any given moment, there is no way that any human would be able to say yes to them all and preserve her own sanity. Let me give you a few examples of what I mean by energy drainers and energy gainers:

Energy drainers

• Too many social obligations
• Overcommunicating
• Overspending
• Sugary and fatty foods
• Clutter
• Noise
• Worry/awfulizing
• Overcommitting
• Bringing work home
• Toxic relationships
• Drugs/alcohol

Energy Gainers

• Diet high in veggies and fruits
• Exercising
• Organized space
• "Me time"
• List of priorities
• Clothing that fits
• Healthy treats and self care
• Hobbies, fun activities
• Budgeting
• Authentic relationships
• Journaling
• Extreme self care

Aspire Life Coaching.org presents a 5-step plan to get your life in balance, reclaim your energy and reduce your stress levels:

1. Make a list of your Energy Drainers and Energy Gainers.
2. Log how you spend your time for a week (and I mean everything - even phone calls to your mom or time spent shaving your legs!)
3. Review your log and highlight the time spent on activities that aren't "important".
4. Create a schedule that reduces the meaningless activities and increases the meaningful ones.
5. Encourage yourself to commit to the schedule. Remember to give yourself time and patience as you implement your new, balanced lifestyle. Celebrate your successes!

Balancing your life can be challenging, yet consider the alternative. Is it worth sacrificing your health, your sense of fun, and your peace of mind because you're unable to stay organized and you can't say no? Life balance can take a bit of trial and error, but it is so worth it once you get everything running smoothly. You may even gain unexpected rewards - like saving money as a result of better time management. Or how about feeling more alive and positive because you've made room in your schedule for healthy eating and regular exercise?

Need extra support to create better balance in YOUR life? Join our Passages to Empowerment Bootcamp. Click here for info: www.PassagesToEmpowermentBootcamp.com